Excavators, notably trenchers



March 27, 1962 H. COUQUET EXCAVATORS, NOTABLY TRENCHERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 1, 1960 Fu I March 27, 1962 H. COUQUET 3,027,026

EXCAVATORS, NOTABLY TRENCHERS Filed Nov. 1, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mmh 27, 1962. H. COUQUET 3,027,026

EXCAVATORS, NOTABLY TRENCHERS Filed Nov. 1, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 3,027,026 EXCAVATORS, NUTABLY TRENCHERS Hubert Couquet, Paris, France, assignor to Usines Tanvez, Paris, France, a societe anonyrne Filed Nov. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 66,654 Claims priority, application France Feb. 12, 1960 7 Claims. (Cl. 214138) It is the chief object of this. invention to create a new type of kinematics applicable to diggers or excavators mounted on farming or industrial tractors or other carriers whereby these diggers or excavators may cut or clear ditches along walls or banks, or perform any works in a direction parallel to the axis of the tractor or other carrier and at a variable distance therefrom.

To provide this new kinematics the boom is set angularly in the desired direction about a pivot pintle mounted in turn for pivotal movement in the vertical mesial plane of the framework or like supporting structure about an axis perpendicular to said mesial plane, said boom having mounted on its outer end a pivot pin carrying in turn at r 1 i 4 f ee ii atent the right angles thereto a fulcrum pin held or keyed in a position parallel to said first pivot, the bucket arm being pivotally mounted about this fulcrum pin.

The parallelism between the two pins may be either obtained by means of a preliminary adjustment corresponding to the angle of lateral movement of the boom about its pivot pin, or maintained permanently irrespective of the boom movements, by adequate mechanical or hydraulic control means.

Moreover, this invention comprises an arrangement permitting in all cases a complete lateral movement of the boom in either direction, so that the operator may easily discharge the bucket on the desired side and with the maximum boom divergence after each dredging stroke.

With this arrangement and irrespective of the angular position of the boom about its pivot pin, when this boom is moved about its axis of oscillation for example by operating a hydraulic cylinder bearing against the framework, the outer end of the boom will describe a circular are disposed in a parallel vertical plane more orless shifted laterally from the vertical mesial plane of the framework. Since, in addition, the angular setting of the second pivot pin with respect to the outer end of the boom ensures the parallelism between the bucket arm and the axis of oscillation of the boom, each time this bucket arm is actuated-for example by means of a hydraulic cylinder-it produces displacements of the bucket in the same vertical plane but shifted laterally from the vertical mesial plane of the framework. Thus, a ditch may be cleared by causing the tractor or like carrier to move in a direction parallel to this ditch and on the desired side thereof.

The features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly and completely from the following description if reference is made to the accompanying drawings illustrating diagrammatically a typical form of embodiment of the invention given by way of example; to simplify the description and drawings it is assumed that the machine carrying the boom and the bucket arm consists of a framework anchored on the ground, but it will be readily understood that this structure may be mounted on a chassis, a creeper undercarriage or like self-propelled unit provided with wheels or crawler tracks and with means for anchoring the navvy on the ground at the site.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the trencher or digger cutting or clearing a ditch along a wall.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view showing one portion of FIG. 1, to illustrate the mounting of the boom on the framework.

3,27,25 Patented Mar. 27, 1%52 FIGURE 3 is an exploded view showing the main component elements of FIG. 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view showing one portion of the structure of FIG. 1 to illustrate the manner in which the bucket arm is mounted on the boom end.

FIGURE 5 is an exploded view showing the main component elements of the structure of FIG. 4.

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic view taken upon the plane of the bucket arm and of its pivot pin to show the relative arrangeemnt of the boom and bucket arm for working in the vertical mesial plane of the framework.

FIGURE 7 is a diagrarnamtic similar view showing the relative arrangement of the boom and bucket arm for digging laterally without utilizing special means for operating in a position of maximum boom divergence from the mesial plane.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the machine comprises a framework or A-frame 1 provided with means for anchoring it on the ground. On this frame 1 and in the vertical plane of the machine there is rigidly mounted (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) a fixed nut 2 in which a screw ring or socket 3 formed with peripheral notches is threaded. This ring is rotatably mounted in turn on a column 4 constituting the shaft of a wheel 5 having on the one hand a semi-circular sector formed with gear teeth meshing with the gear teeth formed on another toothed sector 6 visible in FIG. 1 and adapted to be rotated by adequate means (not shown), for example in the form of a pair of hydraulic cylinders and, on the other hand, another sector carrying a scale. The upper face of this wheel 5 is formed, in addition, with a circular set of radial notches. The upper face of column 4 is rigid with a plate 7 having its lower face formed with a circular set of notches corresponding to those of wheel 5, the outer periphery of this plate 7 carrying a reference mark 14 corresponding to the peripheral scale of wheel 5. The upper faceof plate 7 carries a pair of bearings. Mounted between these bearings is a socket 9 adapted to pivot about a shaft 8 inserted therein and also in the pair of bearings carried by the plate '7. The socket 9 is rigid with a pivot pin 10 extending at right angles thereto and engaging the bearings of a yoke 11 carried by the foot of the boom 12, the pivot pin being formed with splines so as to be rotatably solid with an angular adjustment member 13 also mounted in the yoke 11. The outer periphery of this member 13 is formed with a worm gear toothed sector and with a dia-metrally opposite plain sector carrying a scale to be read in front of a reference index or pointer 15 carried by the yoke 11. Transversely to and in the bottom of the yoke 11 is a worm gear 16 meshing with the toothed sector of member 13, this worm gear 16 being formed with square-sectioned ends for operating same from one or the other side, these ends projecting from either side of the yoke 11. By rotating this worm gear until the pointer 15 registers with the Zero of the scale carried by the member 13 the boom 12 will be set in the vertical plane at right angles to the axis of the pivot pin 8. In the inoperative or operative position the ring 3 is screwed in the nut 2 until the plate 7 engages and meshes with the wheel 5. In this position illustrated in PEG. 2 the plate 7 and therefore pivot pin 8 of boom 12 are set by the wheel 5 in an angular position which may be determined at will by rotatably driving the wheel 6. The lufiing movement of boom 12, that is, its angular movements about the pivot pin 8, may be obtained through any suitable and known means such as a hydraulic cylinder 36 (see FIG. 1) having one end pivoted on the framework 1 and the other end pivotally attached to the boom 12 proper.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings the outer end of boom 12 is formed like its root with a yoke 17 in which a member 19 is pivotally mounted by means of a pin 2! having plain portions journalled in the bearings of yoke 17 and a splined portion engaging a correspondingly splined axial bore formed in the member 19. The outer periphery of this member 19 like the member 13 is formed on the one hand with a worm gear toothed sector meshing with a corresponding worm gear 2t mounted across the yoke 17 and on the other hand with a diametrally opposite sector carrying a scale to be read in connection with a pointer 22 carried by the yoke 17. The pivot pin 20 is rigid with a strap 23 formed with two bearings having their common axis disposed at right angles to the pivot axis. These two bearings carry a pin 24 for pivoting the bucket arm 25 having mounted on its outer end at 27 a bucket 26, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The angular movements of this bucket 26 may be controlled in any known manner, for example by means of a hydraulic cylinder 28 hearing on the strap 23 (see FIGS. 1 and 4) and having the operating end of its piston rod pivoted at 29 on links controlling the angular movements of the bucket 26 about its fulcrum 27. Thus, when the screw 21 is rotated, for example by inserting a crank on one of its square ends, so that until the pointer 22 of yoke 17 of boom 12 registers with the Zero of the scale carried by the member 19, the strap 23 will be in axial alignment with the boom 12 and the two pivot pins 24 and 29 will extend at right angles to the vertical axis of symmetry of this boom. The rotation of arm 25 about its fulcrum 24 may be controlled through any known and suitable means, for example by means of a hydraulic cylinder 30 bearing against the boom 12 near the outer end thereof, the operating end of the cylinder rod being pivoted on a member 31 mounted in turn for sliding movement on the boom and connected through a link 32 to a suitable point of arm 25.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the relative arrangement of the component elements of the machine which is necessary for operating same in its vertical plane of symmetry. This arrangement can be obtained by simply operating the ring 3 and screws 16 and 21 after setting the pointers 1'4, 15 and 22 to their zero posiiton on the corresponding scales, the wheel being in its intermediate position.

If under these conditions the screws 16 and 21 are rotated while setting the pointers and 22 on the same marks of the two corresponding scales, the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 7 will be obtained wherein parallelism of the axes 8 and 24 of boom 12 and bucket arm is maintained, the boom 12 forming in this case, with the vertical mesial plane 111-111 of the framework, an angle q; corresponding to the reference mark of the two scales. When the two cylinders 36 and are actuated in any desired way, the arm 25 and cylinder 28, and therefore the bucket 26 itself, will all move in the same vertical plane x-x parallel to this plane m-m and which, assuming that L is the length of the boom 12, is spaced therefrom by distance d=L Sin (p To accomplish in a direction opposite to the operating or cutting direction a complete lateral displacement of the boom (which is particularly useful for discharging the bucket laterally) the operator rotates the threaded ring 3 to release the meshing engagement between the plate 7 and wheel 5. Then the plate 7 may be rotated manually and the assembly carried by the boom may be displaced in a direction opposite to the operating direction through an angle equal to the operating angle KP. Then, it is sufficient to operate the threaded ring in the opposite direction until the parts are re-arranged in the new angular setting.

In the embodiment illustrated and in order to avoid the use of algebraic signs or colored reference marks, the scales consist of odd numbers on one side of the zero, and of even numbers on the other side, in the increasing order from zero.

Of course many modifications may be brought to the form of embodiment illustrated in the drawings and described hereinabove without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Thus, the pivot pin of the bucket arm may be set parallel to the lufting axis of the boom by operating a hydraulic cylinder controlled from the drivers cab.

The parallelism between the bucket arm fulcrum axis and the boom lufiing axis, instead of being obtained through a specific setting for each angular side displacement of the boom, may also be maintained permanently by a mechanical connection or the like. A mechanical connection may be obtained for example by means of links or connecting rods of same length and parallel to the boom, which interconnect the two pivot pins. Another mechanical arrangement consists in interconnecting the boom lufiing pivot to the bucket arm pivot pin by means of a pair of pinions of same diameter which are keyed on these two pins and interconnected in turn by parallel racks slidably mounted on either side of the boom.

What I claim is:

1. An excavator comprising a frame structure, a horizontal swivel pin mounted on said frame structure, means for adjusting at will the angular position of said swivel pin in relation to said frame structure, a pivot pin for mounting thereon the foot end of the excavator boom which is mounted for rotation about, and in a plane perpendicular to said horizontal swivel pin, a boom having a foot and a head, said boom foot being pivotally mounted about said pivot pin, means for adjusting the angular setting of said boom about said pivot pin, hydraulic means connected to said frame structure and said boom for controlling the angular movements of said boom about said horizontal swivel pin mounted in said frame structure, a pivot pin rotatably mounted in said boom head and parallel with the boom foot pivot pin, a boom head swivel pin secured at right angle to said boom head pivot pin, an arm mounted for angular movement about said swivel pin of the boom head, an excavator tool pivotally carried by said arm, means for adjusting the angular setting of said boom head pivot pin and said boom head swivel pin in relation to the boom head, hydraulic means connected to said boom and to said arm for controlling the angular movements of said arm about said boom head swivel pin and other hydraulic means connected to said boom head pivot pin and to said tool for controlling the movements of said tool in relation to said arm.

2. An excavator as set forth in claim 1, wherein said boom foot comprises a yoke having two side members formed with holes and pivotally mounted by means of these holes in said boom foot pivot pin, said means for adjusting the angular setting of the boom in relation to said boom foot pivot pin comprising a member rigid with said pivot pin for effecting said angular setting, said member engaging the space between said two side members of the boom foot yoke and being formed with teeth disposed along a circular are which are turned towards the inside of said side members, and a boom foot operating member pivotally mounted in said boom foot, said operating member being formed on the one hand with a worm portion meshing with said teeth of said angular setting member and on the other hand with an end portion of square cross-section which projects from said boom foot for engagement by a suitable control crank handle.

3. An excavator as set forth in claim 2, comprising an index carried by the boom foot and a scale carried by the member for adjusting the angular setting of the boom on the side opposite to the teeth of said member and in front of said index.

4. An excavator as set forth in claim 3, wherein said boom head is formed with a yoke having two side members former with holes, the boom head pin being pivotally mounted in said holes and formed with an extension in which the boom head swivel pin is mounted in a transverse plane, means for adjusting the angular setting of said pivot pin and said swivel pin of the boom head in relation to the boom proper, said angular setting adjustment means comprising a member for adjusting the angular setting of the arm which is rigid with said pivot pin and extend between the two side members of the boom head yoke, said member being formed between said two side members with a circular set of teeth, and a boom head assembly member pivotally mounted in said yoke and formed on the one hand with a worm portion meshing with said teeth and on the other hand with a portion projecting from said yoke and having a square crosssection for engagement by a suitable control crank handle.

5. An excavator as set forth in claim 4, comprising an index carried by the boom head and a scale carried by said member for adjusting the angular setting of said arm on the side opposite to said circular set of teeth in front of said index.

6. An excavator as set forth in claim 5, wherein the scale and index arrangement provided at the foot and head of the boom is such that when they show the same scale values for the boom and arm respectively the swivel pins of the boom foot and boom head respectively are parallel with each other.

7. An excavator as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for adjusting at will the angular setting of said horizontal swivel pin mounted on said frame structure in relation to the frame structure proper comprise a horizontal circular plate rotatably mounted in said frame structure and provided with two bearings in which said horizontal swivel pin is rotatably mounted and with a lower notched circular contour, a screw drive being also provided for raising and lowering said circular plate and a carrier disc rigid with said frame structure and formed with a circular notched upper contour adapted to be drivingly engaged by the notched circular lower contour of said circular plate when said screw drive is actuated in the direction to allow said circular plate to descend.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Fykse Nov. 3, 1931 Mork Mar. 8, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,155,896 France Dec. 9, 1957 

